The Mystery Of Love
by adorkable-mandie
Summary: Mystery Inc. has went their separate ways.  Shaggy regrets not doing something, but will fate give him another shot?  Formally titled 'Memories'
1. Chapter 1

"Rogers! Don't just stand there! Get to work!" a gruff voice shouted across the store from the office.

"Like, I'm sorry," a lanky young man answered from behind the counter, "Right on it, boss-man, sir." The lanky man stood up right from leaning on the counter and stepped put from behind it to grab a broom and sweep the floor of the store.

_Man, like I thought that working at the Coolsville Record Store would be totally groovy._ The man thought as he made his way around the aisles.

Norville Rogers, or better known as Shaggy to everyone, didn't mean to daydream on the clock, but a song came on that reminded him of the old days. Back when he used to travel everywhere with his friends solving mysteries with Mystery Inc. He even missed being called a 'meddling kid' whenever the culprit was caught.

It had been about five years since the gang, which consisted of Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, himself and his dog, Scooby-Doo, decided that each of them wanted to settle down and no longer solve mysteries. Everyday life had been strange to adapt to after being a part of Mystery Inc. for most of Shaggy's life, but the thing the he missed the most about being with the gang was being with Velma.

Velma Dinkley was the brains behind the operations. Even though Daphne was the beauty that caught just about everyone's eyes, Shaggy had been captivated by Velma. Her dark brown hair that she kept in a bob cut. She had slightly oversized glasses, which she would lose regularly whenever they were on a case. Her favorite color to wear was orange, as apparent by her typical turtle neck sweater she wore. One of Shaggy's favorite features was her laugh and smile. He was a natural the joker, but he always liked it when he made Velma happy.

"Rogers!" the voice shouted again. Shaggy's boss, Mr. Fredrick, was standing in the door way of the store office. He was a balding middle aged man, who was a little more than overweight.

_Zoinks! I did it again._

"Mr. Fredrick, don't be so mean to Shaggy." a girly voice with a slight Southern twang said as the door bell chimed. Both men turned to to see a young woman, who looked like she was in her early 20s, with long blonde hair, that she was throwing back over her shoulder, walk in. "Shaggy can't help it if he spaces out like that. Ya know, ya should be nicer to someone who used to be in Mystery Inc." she continued as she walked to the office.

"Gina..." Mr. Fredrick started, then he just exhaled loudly. "Rogers, time for you to go home." Mr. Fredrick said as he returned to the office after Gina walked back out of it.

"Like, groovy!" Shaggy said, feeling relieved. Gina giggled. This caused Shaggy to look over at the girl. He had to admit that she was a pretty girl, almost like a blonde version of Daphne. She even seemed to be the popular type of person; the kind of girl that people looked up to and wanted to be around. She was always nice to Shaggy, as well.

"Well, I'd better get going. Scooby's waiting for me. Catch ya later, Gina." he said as he clocked out for the day.

That's one thing that hadn't changed from the old days, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo, his best friend that was a Great Dane, were just about always together. The only time that they weren't, was when Shaggy had to go to work (Mr. Fredrick wouldn't hire Scooby for some reason that Shaggy couldn't figure out) and Scooby stayed at home, taking care of it.

Shaggy was in a daze as he walked through Coolsville, heading back to his apartment that he shared with Scooby. His mind wandered back to Velma, as it did a lot of the time. Shaggy, being true to his nature, was always scared to admit that he had feeling for her, back when he had the chance.

"Raggy!" Scooby jumped up on his best friend as Shaggy walked in the door. The dog knocked Shaggy down to the ground, licking him happily.

"Hey boy," Shaggy said, trying to protect his face, "Like, I missed you too." He finally got the Great Dane off of him enough to sit up. Shaggy scratched Scooby in the top of the head.

"Raggy, rook at rut I found!" Scooby exclaimed, running down the hall. Shaggy saw the dog run into the spare bedroom of the apartment, the one that they used as a storage space.

Shaggy scratched his goatee as he wondered what Scooby had found. It was true that they had quite a few boxes still left unpacked after all these years, so it was a mystery. He got up off the floor and walked over to the couch. Shaggy let out a sigh as sat down and looked around the room.

The entire apartment was decorated in a very 1960s manner. There was a lava lamp or two in every room, each one a different shade. A collection of records was displayed on the walls. The floors were covered with shag rugs.

"Rook." Scooby came back through with a picture frame in his mouth in his mouth. Shaggy took it from Scooby to get a look at what the dog had found.

It was a photo of the gang at Fred and Daphne's wedding. Shaggy had been Fred's best man. Velma, who had let her hair grow out enough to touch her shoulders by the time the wedding happened, was Daphne's maid of honor. Scooby had been the ring bearer in the ceremony.

Shaggy smiled at he look at the picture. His thumb stroking the place where Velma was in it. He could feel sadness wash over him.

"Raggy?" Scooby sounded worried about his friend.

"Like, wow. Hard to believe its been almost a year since we seen the gang, right pal?" It had been about a year since the wedding, since everyone went their separate ways. Shaggy shook his head. "Come on, Scoob, old friend, old buddy, old pal," Shaggy said with a forced smile, "Let's get something to eat."

* * *

**I might continue this. Hmm.**


	2. Chapter 2

A few mundane weeks had passes since Scooby had found the photo. Shaggy put it up in the main room of their apartment. It was one of the few pictures that he had of Velma.

The situation at his job hadn't changed much either. Mr. Fredrick still got onto Shaggy when he got the chance. Gina stood up for him whenever the boss did pick on Shaggy. All in all, this was Shaggy's new life.

Today, he was working in the store by himself. Shaggy was glancing through some random magazine, not really reading or paying attention to it, to make time go by faster. He had only had a few customers during his shift. Pretty surprising for a Friday afternoon.

"Zoinks!" Shaggy nearly shouted in shock. The pocket of his brown bellbottoms started vibrating. He reached down to pull out the cell phone that Fred and Daphne had convinced him to get a few years ago. Shaggy still wasn't used to the phone, though. The couple did use it to stay in contact with him since he got the phone.

He looked down to see Fred's name flashing on the display.

"Like, hello Freddie." Shaggy answered.

"Hey Shaggy. Are you busy?" Fred asked, sounding happy.

"Naw, just another day at work." Shaggy said.

"Haha, well, are you available tomorrow?"

"Sure. Why?"

"Daph and me want to tell you and Scooby something." Forget happy, Fred was sounding down right giddy as he spoke.

"Groovy!" Shaggy grabbed a pen and scribbled down the meeting place and time, which was the entrance to Coolsville Park at noon. "Like, Scoob and me will be there." The two said their farewells and hung up. Shaggy could feel a grin spread over his face as he snapped the phone shut.

"What's got you so happy?" Gina said as she walked over to the counter. She had her long hair up in a braid and was dressed in a sleeveless pink top with matching pink shorts. It was late May and getting close to summer, after all.

"I just got off the phone with Freddie." Shaggy said, putting the magazine he was looking at up, "He says that Daphne and him have something to tell Scoob and me. Like, we get to see them tomorrow."

"That's just dandy." Gina answered with a smile. Shaggy had told her stories about the gang, so she knew who everyone was. "Is Velma gonna be there?" she asked.

Shaggy froze. He hadn't thought to ask Fred about Velma. Shaggy felt his smile fade away and a frown replace it.

"Ha, Freddie didn't say anything about her." He was starting to feel down about not asking.

_Like, no way! Why didn't I ask about Velma?_ Shaggy hadn't heard from her since the wedding, but heard from Fred and Daphne that she moved back to Ohio with her family.

"You should get home, hun. You and Scooby gotta get ready." Gina said, playfully pushing him out the door.

"Ok," he said, "I'm gone. Like, see ya!" Shaggy waved at her as he left.

While walking home, he ran his fingers through his shaggy brown hair and scratched his head. He was thinking about what news that Fred could have for him that he couldn't just tell him, not that Shaggy didn't want to see the couple.

Scooby bounced around like a puppy when Shaggy told him about the unexpected phone call and their plans for the next day.

"Roh boy, roh boy, roh boy!" Scooby said as he was assisting Shaggy make dinner.

"Like, I know, buddy." Shaggy paused a moment before he continued, "Hmm, I wonder if its going to be a picnic?" He crossed his arms over his chest, careful to not hit his green shirt with the spoon that he was stirring their food with, as he pondered.

"Raggy." Scooby said, raising an eyebrow at his best friend.

"You're right, Scoob. We should pack for one anyway."

* * *

"Reddie!" Scooby said, sniffing the air and running off before Shaggy could catch him. The dog took off around the corner. Shaggy hadn't ran like this in years, so soon he was a little breathless.

"Scooby-Doo, where are you?" Shaggy shouted with a laugh as he ran to the park.

When he turned the corner close to the entrance, Shaggy saw a blonde man in a white shirt being knocked to the ground and licked by Scooby. The man was going back and forth between flailing his arms and trying to defend himself. Shaggy jogged to the scene, careful to not shake up the content of the picnic basket he was carrying.

"Haha, easy boy. Its great to see you too." Fred said as he got the dog off of him.

"Like, hey Freddie! Long time, no see." Shaggy said. Then, he looked around with a confused expression. "Where's Daphne?" he asked as he helped Fred get to his feet.

"She's sitting down in the park." Fred replied as he was scratching the top of Scooby's head. "Come on you two. Can't leave Daph waiting forever on us." Fred chuckled when he noticed that Shaggy was carrying a picnic basket, "Some things never change."

"Hey, can't go on an empty stomach." Shaggy said.

"Rat's right." Scooby added.

Fred was leading the two over to the picnic table area. When they started getting close, Shaggy started looking out for Daphne.

"Over here, Freddie!"

All three of the boys turned to see Daphne sitting at a table in the shade. She was waving at them, but didn't get up from her seat. As the group got closer, Shaggy saw that she had her red hair up in a ponytail and was wearing a purple sundress.

"Raphne!"

"Daphne!"

"Jeepers guys! Its been way too long!" Daphne said as everyone reached her. Shaggy put the basket on the table and Fred went to stand behind his wife, his hands on her shoulders. "Freddie," she laughed, "I'll be fine." Daphne shrugged from under his hands, but Fred still hovered over her as she got up. Shaggy walked over to her and give her a hug, but noticed something.

Shaggy saw something that he had never seen on Daphne. She had a small bump sticking out from her stomach.

"D-D-Daphne?" he stammered, pointing towards her stomach. Scooby's jaw dropped to the ground and his eyes got wide.

"Guess the cat's out of the bag, Daph." Fred said smiling like a bird fed cat.

"Surprise guys! There is going to be a new member of the gang." Daphne was glowing as she talked. "And we are moving back to Coolsville to stay." She continued as she sat back down. Fred was still hovering protectively over her.

"Like, congrats you guys." Shaggy said happily.

"Reah, rongrats!" Scooby said, shaking Fred's hand vigorously. Daphne just laughed at them.

"Jinkies!" a voice said from behind Shaggy. He knew that voice. A sensation went through Shaggy like electricity as he slowly turned around.

* * *

**Alrighty, deciding to go on with this one. Anywho, reviews are welcomed!**


	3. Chapter 3

_Like, wow._ Shaggy thought as he turned to see Velma standing not too far away from him.

Shaggy saw that Velma had let her dark brown hair grow out a little bit longer since the wedding, which she had held back with a thick orange headband. The sun made her hair shimmer in its sunbeams. She still had the same old oversized glasses that she had back when the gang was together. Velma was wearing an orange v-cut sleeveless shirt and a red miniskirt. Even with her carrying a drink tray full of milkshakes from the malt shop, she made Shaggy's heart skip a beat. The world seemed to slowly start to fade away.

"H-hey Velma." he stammered as she got closer.

_Keep it cool, man. _He could feel his hands start to get clammy.

"Hey Shaggy." Velma replied as she put the drinks down on the table. "Hey Scooby-Doo." she turned and got down to be eye level with the dog. Then, she scratched Scooby underneath his chin. The world came back into focus when Velma acknowledged Scooby. "I've missed you goofballs!"

"Relma!" Scooby licked Velma's face, knocking her glasses off and on to the ground.

"My glasses! I can't see without them!" Velma said as she blindly scoured the ground.

"Here ya go, Velma." Shaggy said as he picked up the glasses and handed them back to her.

"Thanks." Velma replied as she reached out to get the glasses. Her hand accidentally grabbed hold of Shaggy's hand. He could feel his face get hot and his heart sped up its beats. Velma slowly moved her hand down to where Shaggy was holding out the glasses.

"Its no problem." Shaggy said. Then, he turned back to Fred and Daphne.

"Ha ha, some things never change." Fred repeated himself after a few moments of silence. He went back to enjoying his milkshake. Daphne shook her head at her husband.

"Come on and sit down you guys." Daphne said, motioning for them to join in at the table. Scooby started to snack on the treats that were in the picnic basket that Shaggy brought.

"Did you find anything, Velma?" Fred asked in between sips of his milkshake.

"No, I didn't. At least, nothing that I can afford at the moment." Velma answered. She seemed sad because of the conversation.

"Wait, like, what's going on?" Shaggy asked. He look of confusion covered his face. "And does Velma know about..." Shaggy pointed at Daphne's slightly protruding stomach.

"Yes, I do know that Fred and Daphne are expecting a baby, Shaggy." Velma said as she pushed her glasses up on her nose. "After all, I am living with them until I get my own place."

Shaggy was shocked at this news. Then, he remembered that the Dinkleys moved out of Coolsville and went back to Ohio sometime when Mystery Inc. was still together. So, when the gang called it quits, Velma went back to join her family. That was the last Shaggy had heard about Velma's living situation.

"Zoinks. Like, I didn't know that." Shaggy said grabbing his milkshake. He couldn't help but smile when he saw that Velma got his favorite flavor.

"Yeah, Freddie and me invited Velma to come back to Coolsville with us." Daphne said with a cheery grin.

_Man, she's been back in town and I didn't know about it? _He mused as he started to drink his milkshake.

"As soon as I get a place of my own, I will be able to get the rest of my things from my family." Velma said while she twirled a strand of her hair.

Shaggy looked down at Scooby, whose head had just emerged from the basket and had a guilty smile. Shaggy leaned down towards the dog. Fred and Daphne were telling Velma not to feel rushed about finding herself a place and move out.

"We invited you to stay with us." Daphne pointed out.

Velma said something about the fact that they were starting a family and that she didn't want to add to the stresses of new parenthood.

"Like, Scoob, why don't we let Velma move in with us?" Shaggy whispered to Scooby. The dog paused for a moment to think about, even scratched his chin. Then, Scooby nodded his head.

"Reah!" Scooby answered in a whisper. Then, the dog picked up a sandwich and started eating it.

Shaggy could feel a goofy grin spread over his face as he sat back upright. The three friends were still bantering back and forth. Shaggy cleared his throat. Everyone looked at him.

"I have a groovy suggestion." Shaggy interjected. Fred, Daphne and Velma fell completely silent. "Like, how about you move in with Scoob and me, Velma?"

* * *

**Ok, I wanna change the name of the story since I am gunna continue it, but I don't know what to change the title to. Any suggestions? Also, I wanna take suggestions on baby names for Fred and Daphne's baby. Thanks alot!**

**Mucho gracias for all the FanFiction lurve! **


	4. Chapter 4

"A-are you sure, Shaggy?" Velma asked, looking like she was completely in disbelief. Fred looked shocked as well. Daphne had the same expression as Fred, but quickly recovered. She raised her eyebrow at Shaggy and looked at him like he was a child that was about to be in trouble.

_Must be a pregnant thing. _Shaggy thought to himself about Daphne's quickly changing mood swings. Shaggy saw out of the corner of his eye that Scooby was peaking over the table, as if to see what suddenly caused everyone to go completely silent.

"Like, totally sure." Shaggy answered with a smile. "We have an extra bedroom that we don't use." He looked to Scooby for conformation. The dog nodded in agreement. Shaggy continued to smile. He wasn't going to let his nervousness get the better of him, like it usually did. He was grateful that his voice was shaking or anything else was going to give him away.

_Wouldn't have it any other way._ Shaggy wasn't going to share this thought out loud with everyone.

"This is perfect! Almost like Mystery Inc. is back together again!" Daphne said very cheerfully as she clapped her hands together.

"Ha ha, the only thing missing is a mindless zombie." Velma added. Then, she back against her seat as she contemplated her answer to Shaggy's suggestion. Shaggy was sitting on the edge of his chair as he anticipated her response. He didn't even notice that Scooby had taken his drink off the table and practically slurped it down in one gulp.

"Well, I suppose that its better than staying with Fred and Daphne." Velma said with a flick of her wrist, tossing her hair back over her shoulder, after a few moments. Shaggy let out a breath he hadn't realized that he had been holding at the news. "I just need a couple of days to get all my things together from their place." she continued as she pointed over to Fred and Daphne. Both of them were smiling at the turn of events.

"Groovy!" Shaggy said. He was feeling ecstatic. The last time he felt anything that could come close to this feeling (since the gang had broken up) was when he and Scooby found out that there was going to be an all you can eat buffet opening in Coolsville. Of course, the two took it as a personal challenge and ended up being banned from the restaurant.

"Rippee!" Scooby chimed in.

"Scoob!" Shaggy said when he reached out to take a sip of his drink, only to find the cup empty and what remained of the drink was on the dog's face.

"Rorry Raggy." Scooby said, looking slightly apologetic. Fred and the girls laughed at the pair. It was just like a scene from the old days. As if the past few years hadn't even affected their friendship.

The day flew by while the group of friends talked with each other. A rather loud rumble from Shaggy's stomach, which was followed by one from Scooby's stomach, was what cause Fred to look at his watch to see the time.

"Right on time, guys." Fred said with a chuckle. He pointed to the large digital display of his watch, which was reading that it was five in the afternoon.

"Well, we'd better be going." Daphne said as she placed her hand on Fred's arm. He got up and helped his wife, cautiously, get to her feet. She rolled her eyes, but took his hand.

"Like, wow." Shaggy said when the couple had walked out from behind the table. "No heels, Daphne?"

As long as he had known her, Shaggy knew two things about Daphne. The first was that her favorite color was purple and that she managed to incorporate it into everything she wore. The second was that she loved to wear high heels.

"Its his fault." Daphne said sounding exasperated, as she pointed at Fred with one hand and put the other hand on her hip. Fred looked taken aback, but she just sighed. "I really do miss them." she continued as she looked down at the purple flats, which kind of looked like the type of shoes that Velma preferred.

"I just don't want you to risk tripping and falling, honey." Fred said in his defense. "So, Velma, want to head back with us?" Fred asked her in an attempt to try to change the subject.

"Uh, actually Fred, I was going to stay with Shaggy just a little while longer." Velma answered. Then, she turned to Shaggy. "That is unless you somewhere or something else to do tonight."

Shaggy couldn't believe his luck. Velma was wanting to talk to him, alone.

"Nope, I've got nothing but time." he answered. _For you._ he added mentally.

* * *

**Thank you to everyone for the FanFic lurve! ^_^**


	5. Chapter 5

Shaggy, Velma and Scooby walked together through the downtown area of Coolsville. As they traveled, Shaggy pointed out some of the changes the town had gone through in the last few years. He showed her where he worked. Gina waved at Shaggy as he passed by the glass windows of the store.

The three settled for dinner from the Pizza Joint, one of Scooby's favorite places to eat. Shaggy always figured that was because of the wicked awesome arcade there. Velma laughed at Shaggy and Scooby as they tried to beat each others' high scores on various games, after the two had eaten three large pizzas. Shaggy couldn't help but smile when he heard her, it was a sound that he missed so much. He watched as Velma, who decided to be safe, play Skee-Ball. When everyone had finished playing, about a couple hours later, the three of them left.

"So, like, where does Freddie and Daphne live now?" Shaggy asked as they set back on the town.

"Oh, they live in Fred's old house. The one he grew up in." Velma answered. "His parents went to live in Florida just after the wedding and they left him the house."

Shaggy knew that Fred's house was on the opposite side of town from where his apartment was. Of course, growing up in Coolsville together, the gang had to deal with the fact that each of them lived in the four different directions of town. Daphne lived in the Blake Mansion in the north part of Coolsville. Everyone else lived in the suburbs. Fred to the east, Velma to the south and Shaggy and Scooby to the west part of town.

"Hey Scoob, you wanna go on home and crash?" Shaggy asked the dog. Velma couldn't see the facial contortions that Shaggy was doing to emphasize that Scooby needed to to go back to the apartment.

"Rokay." Scooby replied, but didn't seem to happy about it.

"Mind if we take a small detour to take Scoob back to our place?" Shaggy turned and asked Velma.

"Sure." she answered with a smile. "Also, it would give me a chance to see the apartment."

"Awesome." Shaggy said. Then, grinning like a bird fed cat, Shaggy started to lead the way. He couldn't help but to notice that Velma's hand wasn't that far from his hand. Shaggy wanted to reach over and take hold of her hand as they walked, be he resisted. He wasn't sure how Velma would react to something like that.

When they reached the apartment, Scooby made and immediate dash through the apartment and Velma walked in and let out a chuckle. Shaggy looked around, but he couldn't see anything funny. He was hoping that Scooby hadn't left anything embarrassing around, like underwear.

"This is exactly how I imagined you would decorate whenever you got your own place, Shaggy." Velma answered when she saw Shaggy's expression.

Shaggy sighed with relief. _Thank goodness._

"Like hey! Why mess with a classic look?" Shaggy jokingly asked with a smile. In fact, he had been smiling so much throughout the day that his face was hurting. Shaggy didn't care though, because he had Velma back in his life.

"Good point." Velma said as she turned around on her heel. Her hair fanned out in the air from the action, then it fell back down in place. She walked over to the couch and sat down. There was a brightly colored throw blanket that fell down behind her.

"Hey! Wanna watch a movie or something?" Shaggy suggested. He doubted she would agree, but he wasn't ready to let her go so soon. Shaggy was preparing himself for the letdown.

"Sounds like a good idea." Velma replied. She pulled the blanket from behind her and put it over her bare legs.

"Rut arout re?" Scooby asked as he reappeared from the back of the apartment. Shaggy turned to his best friend.

"Sure Scoob." Shaggy was elated. It seemed that luck was finally favoring him. He looked back at Velma. "How about you pick one out?" he asked her as he pointed out the movie collection that he and Scooby shared.

"Um..." Velma said as her eyes glanced over the movies. "Got anything scary?" She had a mischievous look in her eyes.

Scooby jumped into Shaggy's arms. Both of them were slightly trembling.

"No way! We've been scared more than enough times in our lives already." Shaggy said.

"Reah!" Scooby added as he slowly got down from Shaggy's arms.

"I was only joking, guys." Velma giggled. She didn't get off the couch. Instead, Velma picked up the remote to the television and started flipping through the channels. As she did, she motioned for Shaggy to sit down with her.

"Ropcorn!"Scooby said. Then, the dog disappeared into the kitchen.

Velma found some dog movie marathon and decided that was good. Scooby brought a big bowl of popcorn for the three of them. Shaggy and Velma sat on the couch and Scooby on the recliner, that was next to the couch. Sometime during the second movie, Velma pulled the blanket over herself and leaned over on Shaggy's arm. Of course, he didn't move, even when his entire arm fell asleep.

After a few movies, Shaggy started to feel sleepy. He looked over at Scooby, who was holding his empty popcorn bowl and was fast asleep. Shaggy looked down at Velma, who was still laying on his arm.

Shaggy saw that Velma was asleep too. She looked like an angel with over-sized glasses. Carefully, Shaggy used his free hand and took off her glasses. He was cautious as he leaned forward and placed the glasses on the coffee table in front of the couch. As he leaned back, Velma snuggled up to him and rested her head on his chest.

At first, Shaggy was shocked. His heart was pounding his ribcage so hard that he was sure that there was going to be an impression from it. After a few moments (his heart still beating like crazy), he realized that she was going to sleep there. So, Shaggy relaxed.

"Oh, Velma, I wish I could tell you how much you mean to me." he whispered. With the television still on, Shaggy could hardly hear the whisper himself. Shaggy leaned his head over on Velma's head and slowly wrapped his arm around her. Happily, Shaggy went to sleep.

* * *

**Sorry for delay! Been uber busy with school. Anywho, reviews are welcome! Plus, we are soon gunna find out if the Fred and Daphne's baby is a girl or boy! ^_^**


	6. Chapter 6

"Jinkies!"

"Zoinks!" Shaggy said as he fell off the sofa from the shocking wake up that he had received.

"Shaggy, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to frighten you!" Velma said. She was squinting in the direction that he had fallen, because she didn't have her glasses on yet.

Suddenly, Scooby came flying from the back of the apartment. He was kicking the air like he was some kind of ninja dog.

"Hey! Hong Kong Phooey, watch where you're going." Shaggy said as he got up off of the floor.

Velma pulled the blanket over her upper body. "What are Freddie and Daphne going to say?" she said with her face in her hands.

"Like, calm down, Velma." Shaggy replied as he sat down next to her. Scooby was already cooking breakfast in the kitchen. "You're moving in here, right?" Shaggy continued as he reached over to the table and retrieved Velma's glasses.

"I suppose you're right." she said, sounding a little relieved.

"Alright, here you go." he handed her the spectacles

Shaggy took a good look at Velma as she straightened up a little bit and put the glasses on. It was just like back when the gang traveled together in the Mystery Machine. Shaggy knew that Velma didn't toss and turn in her sleep, so like she appeared now, Velma looked pretty, practically perfect. Even her hair fell right into place.

_Like, when haven't I thought she was pretty?_

"Um, Shaggy?" Velma said. "Would you show me where the restroom is?" she asked in a small voice. "So I can freshen up."

"Sure, come on." he answered. As they walked, Shaggy gave Velma a quick tour of the apartment.

"Oh boy." Shaggy said as he returned back to the living room alone.

"Rut's rong, Raggy?" Scooby asked. The dog had made pancakes and was putting just about every topping that he could get his paws on and smothered the hot cakes.

Shaggy let out a sigh. "Ya know old buddy, she's a genius, but I wonder if she knows…"

"Rows rut?"

Shaggy just shrugged as he made his own plate of breakfast.

* * *

"Shaggy, you didn't have to walk me back to Fred and Daphne's house." Velma said, as she shielded her eyes from the afternoon sun.

"I'm not letting you walk around alone." Shaggy replied with his arms across his chest. "It just isn't safe." Velma giggled at him and caused Shaggy to relax a little. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Let's go."

Leaving Scooby behind at the apartment gave Shaggy and Velma some time by themselves. It was the first time since he had seen her yesterday that Shaggy had been alone with Velma.

They chatted animatedly all the way to Fred and Daphne's house.

"Wow, its been awhile since I've been here!" Shaggy said as they reached the street.

"I bet you could see the Mystery Machine from here." Velma laughed.

Shaggy strained his eyes and, even though the house was in the middle of the street, he could see the van. The vehicle stood out like a blast of colors in the bleak and boring backdrop of suburbia.

The two jogged up the road. They were slightly breathless by the time that they reached the house. Once the both of them caught their breath, between laughing, Velma knocked on the door.

"Oh thank goodness its you, Velma." Daphne said when she opened the door. Her voice mirrored the irritation on her face. "I mean, Joe has been upset all night."

_Joe?_

"Oh, I'm sorry Daphne. I should have know that Joe wouldn't be too happy seeing as I didn't come back last night." Velma answered as she walked into the house.

"Come on in, Shaggy." Daphne said.

As he entered the door, a chill ran through his body that had nothing to do with the air conditioning. He felt his stomach drop.

_Who is Joe?_

_

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**Hello everyone! Sorry for the update being delayed! College is very time consuming!**


	7. Chapter 7

"I'll be right back." Velma said to Shaggy. "I've got to check on Joe." Then, she disappeared through the house.

_ Oh boy._

"C'mon Shaggy." Daphne said from the couch. "Have a seat." She patted the cushion next to her.

Absentmindly, Shaggy wandered over to the couch and dropped down on it. He noticed that Daphne was looking over a paper that had two columns with some things crossed out. In one column, he saw: Olivia Velma, Lacey Renee, Elizabeth, Josie and other that were marked through. The other only had a few: Maximillian Norville, Freddie Jr., and others were lined out.

Shaggy figured that they were trying to decide on baby names, but weren't sure what gender the baby was yet.

"Oh…Good morning, Shaggy." Fred said, sounding rather tired, as he appeared from the hallway that that had just went into a moment before. Shaggy put on a smile and waved at Fred. Then, Fred went on to another room that Shaggy remembered to be the kitchen.

_Like, come on, man. Wake up, Shaggy. You never should have thought that someone like her would be overlooked._ Shaggy thought to himself. Then, he shook the thought away.

"Hey, Freddie." Shaggy called out as he got up from his seat. "Like, what's for breakfast?" he asked with a dry laugh as he made his way to follow Fred.

A loud barking roared from the back of the house. The sound caused Shaggy to jump up and fall down on the floor.

"Look out!" Velma's voice shouted through the house.

Shaggy had just gotten himself propped up on his elbows when a golden Labrador retriever came flying at him. The dog knocked him back down and started barking at him.

"Help!" Shaggy yelped with his arms up, protecting his face.

"Oh, Joe!" Velma said in an exasperated tone. "Josephine!" she said a little louder. "Stop it!"

Immediately, the dog ceased barking at Shaggy, but continued to stand over him.

"Now come here, Josephine." Velma said with a stomp.

The dog growled at Shaggy one last time. Then, slowly, she walked over to Velma, not taking her eyes off Shaggy.

"Good girl." Velma said as she patted the dog on the head. Josephine finally looked away from Shaggy and playfully licked her owner's hand. "Shaggy, meet Josephine." Velma said with a smile. The dog was happily wagging its tail.

"What's all the commo-oh." Fred said as he returned from the kitchen with a spatula in his hand. His eyes shifted at the scene before him. Shaggy laying dumbstruck on the floor and Josephine next to Velma.

Daphne's laughing broke the short silence in the room.

"She-she did-the-the same thing-to-to Freddie!" she said between laughs.

"Yeah, it only took five minutes to get her off of me." Fred mumbled as a response as he crossed his arms across his chest. He shook his head at the unpleasant memory. Then, he turned around and went back to the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, Shaggy." Velma said sheepishly.

It took Shaggy a moment to compose himself. _She's just so cute._

"Like, no harm done, Velms." he replied with a smile. Shaggy got up off the ground and dusted himself off.

"Hey!" Daphne exclaimed, apparently finished with her giggle fit. "Why don't you two take Josephine and Scooby out walking together?"

"That's an excellent idea, Daphne." Velma said. She smiled (which caused Shaggy's knees to get weak). "It will be a good chance for the two to get to know each other and let Joe get to know the area as well." Then, she turned to Shaggy. "Just give us a few minutes."

Shaggy nodded. Velma and the dog went back through the house. Shaggy couldn't help but to let his eyes follow her as she left.

"You're welcome, Shaggy." Daphne said with a chuckle. He hadn't realized that she had gotten up and was standing right next to him. Then, she patted him on the back and followed where had gone into the kitchen. "Freddie, do we have any watermelon?" she asked as she disappeared from view.

Shaggy felt confused about what Daphne had said to him. Then again, a lot of things that she had said lately was confusing. Shaggy got lost in his thoughts.

"-aggy?" Velma's voice broke through his train of thought.

"Wha- what?" Shaggy stuttered nervously.

"Ha ha. I was just asking if you were ready to go or if you wanted to stay and eat here."

"Uh, we can go." he answered, pointing over his shoulder towards the door. "I'm sure that Scooby already made brunch and is working on lunch by now."

Shaggy couldn't help noticing Velma's change of wardrobe. She had pulled her long, dark hair back into a ponytail, leaving some down to frame her face. She had an orange t-shirt and red shorts on. She was carrying a dark backpack that looked like it had N.A.S.A.'s logo embroidered on it.

"Sounds good to me." Velma replied. Then, she put the bag down. (It did have the logo on it.) She rummaged around until she pulled out an orange leash, which she attempted to clip to a collar that was hidden beneath Josephine's tufts of yellow fur. All the while, the dog tried to lick Velma's face.

"Ha ha. Joe, stop it." Velma laughed. She finally was able to get the leash on. "Alright," she said as she stood up. "Let's go." Then, Velma walked over to the door.

Shaggy smiled and followed her. He let out a sigh of relief. Joe was just a dog. And he got some more time with Velma.

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**Hey everyone! I want to thank you all for having patience! Ugh! My writing muses left me for the longest and all my characters were just sitting around and not doing anything. Velma always had her nose crammed in a book, Fred and Daphne were just being lovey-dovey, and Shaggy and Scooby wouldn't leave the all-you-ca-eat buffet long enough to make more of a story for you guys! Hopefully now, we can get back on track. **

**And I put all the suggestions for baby names in the story. We still are not sure of the gender, so suggestions are still being taken. I'll put up a poll when we get closer to deciding. **

**Again, thanks for sticking around and encouraging me to keep on!**


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